


Prologue

by badseb



Series: The story of Balthazar (and Sam) [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Balthazar is awesome, Because Balthazar is the best, Bella is a goddess, Bella lives, Bella!, Fix Everything, When you don't like what happens in the show so you fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-27
Updated: 2016-11-27
Packaged: 2018-09-02 15:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8673139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badseb/pseuds/badseb
Summary: She reminds him of himself, is all.





	

Bella opened her eyes and sat bolt up.

This wasn't Hell. Had it all been a dream?

She remembered calling Dean. She remembered the feeling of terror when she heard the hounds. She remembered their bite and their claws ripping at her body. She remembered...that was all. 

Now she was in some baroque-looking room in a pristine bed, as if she had materialized under the silk sheets. The sunlight shone calmly through the break in the heavy curtains.

"Bonjour madame," said a voice. She jumped slightly, not having seen anyone else in the room- but now a scrappy-looking fellow reclined in a chair across the room. 

"Who are you?" she asked. "How did I get here?"

"I am the Angel Balthazar." he said, inclining his head in a bowing gesture. "And I'm also how you got here." he added with a grin.

"Why?" she asked, her armor coming up. She had been scanning the room, but it seemed oddly un-threatening. Something about this place felt safe. Something about this Angel felt safe, even though she didn't trust that feeling for a second. 

"Because we are very much alike, you and I, with the exception that you are very very good at what you do." he said with a laugh. 

"Am I dead? I was dragged to Hell- am I in Heaven?" she asked very quickly.

"No, better." he said, standing. He crossed the room and opened the curtains, letting in the sun. The Eiffel Tower rose over the horizon. 

"Paris?" She asked incredulously, getting out of the bed. Her clothes that had been torn and bloodied by her trip downstairs were new as the day she'd gotten them. 

"What is it you do?" she asked, eyeing the Angel.

"I am guardian and...dealer of the arsenal of Heaven." he said. "Yes," he continued as her eyes widened. "It's very exciting."

"And so you rescued me from Hell?" She asked. He gave a smug little grin and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets.

"Yes," he said, as if he were very proud. "But please don't make me do it again." He said.

"Why?" 

"Well darling because it's very hard to-" 

"No, why did you drag me back up?" HOW did you drag me back up?" She asked.

"My arsenal, and, my arsenal. I have many powerful items, you see. God's own. Top-notch stuff." He said, smiling. "Care for a drink?" he asked, striding to the table.

"Alright so you want me to help you...?" 

"Whiskey or wine?" 

"Answers." She said, sternly. 

"Yes, I know." He said, pouring a pair of whiskeys. He handed one to Bella. 

"I got you out because I though you might be interested in the protection and upkeep of the arsenal. There really ought to be more than one pair of eyes on it. Especially with war brewing in Heaven." He said.

"And so you choose a thief who was sent to Hell?" She laughed, taking a sip.

Balthazar smiled. "Between you and me and the bedpost, darling, I don't honestly think you earned the place. I know your history. And I like you. You remind me of myself." He added with a grin, taking a swig. 

"And what if I say no?" 

Balthazar shrugged. "Then you say no, and you walk out that door and explain to your friends that you're not dead. Go about living the rest of your life."

"You won't put me back in the pit?"

"No! No, I won't put you back in the pit."

"And what's say I say yes and double-cross you?"

Balthazar smiled sweetly. "You can try, darling. The job comes with certain benefits. It also comes with certain prices if you choose to break its rules. But I don't mean to turn you off. It's a splendid gig, and sure beats burning in Hell. Also beats dying of old age in sixty-odd years if you ask me, but I won't be offended if you say no."

"You're saying I can live forever?" she asked, her eyes growing wide again.

"Well, not forever. Just until you get killed. But for all intents and purposes, old age won't be a problem. Health benefits from On High if you catch my drift. Oh- also, daddy's own credit card." he said with a grin, gesturing to the mansion they were in. 

"You'll never want for anything. All the adventure you could dream of, all the money you'll ever need, and all the time in the world to explore. And, you get to work with the most precious artifacts in the history of...well, everything." he said with a grin. 

Bella sipped her whiskey. 

"But it's entirely up to you, of course. The door is open. Take as much time as you like to decide." he said, finishing his drink. "You can stay here if you like. I have to go now though- if you need me just give me a call." He said. He smiled and disappeared.

Bella spent the day in the mansion thinking. It was very nice. It seemed like a nice gig. The only thing she was concerned about was answering to Heaven and ending up a tool again. The Angel Balthazar seemed carefree enough, but he was one of them. She was an outsider. 

She finally decided to go for it, but wanted to clear some things up first. 

"Balthazar," she said. He appeared. 

"Yes?" he said. 

"How can I trust Heaven?" she asked. He smiled.

"You can't." he said. "No more than Heaven can trust you. But please. We're not all dickbags. Gabriel, Sabriel, Castiel...me. We're all decent. Mostly." He said.

"And the catch. If I decide to pull out?"

"Then Heaven takes back whatever you took. If you live past your natural lifespan. If you get sick and Heaven heals you. If you run the Father's cash." He said. "Heaven simply charges it to your soul." 

"But I won't go back to Hell."

"No. Unless you make another deal with Uncle Crowley."

She stood there and thought.

"Hey. Ms. Talbot. I think you're a good person. I want to help you. I also had a job opening and maybe I wanted to experiment and see if I could pull someone out of the pit. My point is, this isn't charity. This isn't extortion. This isn't a trap." he said. "If you want, I'll let you take the job for three months no strings. All the benefits and none of the drawbacks if you decide it's no good." he said. 

She thought. Then she held out a hand.

"Deal." she said. Balthazar smiled and shook it.

She stayed on after the three months. She loved the work and was good at it, and it was an excellent fit for her ideal lifestyle. She became well-known among gods and creatures of all kinds. And well-respected. Balthazar was proud. Proud that she was happy. Proud that she was doing well. 

She reminded him of himself, was all.

It wasn't long, though, before Heaven heard wind of his escapades down below. To his surprise, it was Castiel.

"Darling!" he said happily. 

Balthazar pulled up a chair and poured Cass a glass of red wine, which he knew was Cass' favorite. 

"How's it going little brother?" he asked happily. It'd been a long time since he'd seen Cass, and the tensions blooming upstairs made him more keen on spending quality time with his siblings before they started killing each other again. 

"Fine," said Castiel with an easy smile. "And yourself?"

"Good good good," said Balthazar, smiling and sipping his wine. 

"Balthazar, I've heard you pulled someone out of Hell." 

"Aaaand there it is." 

"How?"

Balthazar smiled. "Come now brother. You have your army, I have my tricks." 

"Are these tricks teachable?" Cass asked.

"Why? Loose someone down there?" Balthazar asked with a laugh.

"It's Dean Winchester." 

Balthazar hesitated and shook his head. "Sorry?" he said. "I don't think I've ever heard-"

"Because you spend your time with your head in the sand." Said Cass with a fond grin. "Tune into Heaven's frequencies. The Winchesters are all over the place." 

"Why?"

"Sam Winchester, Dean's brother, was chosen by Lucifer to be his true vessel." 

"Oh." Said Balthazar lightly. He usually liked to stay out of things and taking sides. But if it was Lucifer- well, it would be big enough to involve him no matter how far he ran. 

"Then this is complicated." he added. 

"Very." said Castiel. "Heaven has tasked me with pulling Dean Winchester out of Hell. It is taken that he is the only one who can keep Sam Winchester from saying yes."

Balthazar nodded.  
"There's just one slight problem." 

"Yes?" said Cass.

"Well you see, this was the first time I pulled someone out of Hell. I don't like to say that it was experimental, but...to say that there weren't things that went wrong would be a lie." 

"What do you mean."

"Hell was designed to keep in all of the worst of Humanity." 

"Yes." 

"It is surrounded by walls and walls of fire and all sorts of nasty stuff." 

"This is common knowledge." 

"Well, brother, let's say that this was your wall. Your place to protect. Now pretend I steal over with a handful of magic and manage to bust a little tiny crack in that wall- just big enough for me to reach in and grab a single soul, and pull her out. What would you do?"

"I would repair the crack and double my defenses. I would study the intrusion and guard-"

"Yes. You see my point?"

Castiel sighed. "Yes. I see it."

"I will do all I can to help you, but you must know that this won't be easy. We'll need more than what I've got in my pockets."

"It has been commanded from On High. We have my army." he said simply, logistically.

"It might carry a heavy cost." Balthazar warned.

Castiel nodded. "It has been commanded." he said. 

Balthazar sighed and agreed, and downed his glass before they set to work. Besides the fact that it was Cass and it involved keeping his bastard brother Lucifer in the cage, Balthazar rather liked the story of these two Human brothers.

Reminded him of himself, was all.


End file.
